Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is an alien from a race that appears much like human ducks. Short in stature, this little duck-like male seems very useless at first glance. However, he has earned the respect of a number of heroes and is more than able to hold his own. Background Howard was born in a world where ducks had evolved as the dominant life form instead of apes called Duckworld. Duckworld was not quite cartoonish, but was a world that did not have as many heroes and villains as the mainstream realities of other hero worlds, but they did have some equivalent characters. Howard was born to two middle class blue collar parents that he clashed with, wanting to pursue more artistic pursuits than a job involving manual labor, but his parents tolerated and encouraged him even when they disagreed. Howard pursued an academic career in Duckworld, but was mostly a failure, eventually dropping out of graduate school in arts and humanities and living out on the streets. During this time Duckworld was in the midst of popular protests against a war, and during such a protest Howard found himself mysteriously teleported over to the mainstream reality populated by hairless apes across the Nexus of Realities where he ended up in Florida with the Giant Size Man-Thing, where the two formed a strange sort of friendship. Howard helped fight alongside the Man-Thing and a strange group of other assembled personages, saving the Nexus of Realities from the other-dimensionally Overmaster, but in the process losing the ability to send Howard back home, leaving him abandoned in this reality. From his teamup with the Man-Thing, Howard wandered around Florida, getting in constant petty trouble with the authorities, eventually meeting Beverly Switzer and saving her, in the process her becoming Howard's first friend in this new strange world populated by hairless apes, and his eventual romantic partner. Howard had several nonsensical adventures over with Beverly, which included fighting some of the weirdest foes the new universe had to offer, such as Doctor Bong, Bessie the Hell Cow, and others. In one adventure Doctor Strange used Howard's rather limited magical abilities to help seal a potentially dangerous breach in the Nexus of Realities by sending him on a dimensionally hopping surrealist voyage. A few years into his existence in this strange new world, Howard was ranting when he was approached by a seventh class political party to be it's candidate for president. Howard joyfully took on the platform and it lasted about as long until people realized that he meant it seriously and was not a comedian running for president, and it fell apart quickly when even an attempted assassin decided he wasn't worth the effort. As well as George Lucas made a biopic about him that was widely regarded as the worst movie of all time that Howard had been stuck in court with over for years on finishing the planned trilogy. Through it all, Howard's constant shenanigans had his relationship with Beverly on a thin line. Eventually moving to New York City, Howard got a job over as a cab driver to support himself, and a list of petty crimes so long that the New York Police Department told officers to ignore people calling about ducks. Howard had several minor altercations and team-ups with other heroes once moving to New York, and was regarded as an oddity even by the standards of the city. Then there was the time he teamed up with the Avengers to take on Doctor Bong and his army of ninja ducks floating on a giant evil fairytale palace down a major city street. Howard drove a taxi in New York City for a few years, seeing, causing, and avoiding much chaos, and in general getting a reputation as a malfeasant with a heart on the inside if one could tolerate the smell. Then during the world's merging and the villains taking over the streets and all the dimensionally displaced chaos, Howard singlehandedly defeated the Circus of Crime while trying to protect Beverly, and utterly no one remotely noticed it in the slightest. During all the chaos he also had to help protect the Man-Thing, who was near death and stop the disintegration of the Nexus of Realities, which was saved just in time by the return of the heroes and the world's merging. Since then Howard has maintained his tenuous relationship with Beverly and has found new heroes,new villains, and new nonsense to interact with with people from the other reality, whom wonder if he's a member of the Amazing Zoo Crew. Personality *Grouchy: Howard is a grouch. Constantly short tempered, smelling badly, and generally not very nice to be around. In general, he's a pessimist who always sees the worst things out of everyone, and treats most people in a rather belligerent manner. In Howard's eyes, most people are just going to think of him some sort of freak in a costume and try and pull his mask off, so he's just prematurely defending himself. He always does seem rather fowl mannered. *Short-Tempered: Howard is rather short tempered, and very snappish, and prone to fowl behavior. It's very easy to set him off over in a rage in an unjustified manner and otherwise get him set off and going after folks when they don't deserve it, and he seems prematurely cranky. *Alienated: Howard wants respect, and he never gets it. Of course, much of this is over to his own behavior, but after so many years over in a world where he's the only one of his kind and has never managed to fit in (or really attempted or wanted to, in fairness), will do that to a duck. Generally Howard is quickest of all to enrage at anyone who so much as questsions his right to see things the way he does. *Loyal: Howard has a soft spot for his few friends, and children, or those who have likewise been wronged in general. Especially for his 'fowl weather' hairless ape girlfriend who has stuck by him through thick and thin. Howard is generally supportive of those who have been wronged by society, outcasts, and other freaks, and those who need respect, and they can bring out those rare showings of support from him. *Ranting: Howard rants about a great many things, but often his gift of gab will be triggered by something related to things that are going on. Howard is surprisingly observant then and while he's not well spoken (and uses fowl language), he is quite observant and his prose, while purple and filled with invectives, will have a great many high flying references in it. Logs NPC Logs *2012-01-13 - Bong Has Rung and Ducks Amuck - Doctor Bong makes a flying castle and unleashes a horde of ninja ducks against the Avengers and the X-Men. And just when you thought it was safe to stop taking you anti-psychotics.. (MTV: 2012-01-13 - The Bong Has Rung) First Player's Logs *2014-01-22: A Duck, an Imp and Lawyer Go Into a Bar - Howard the Duck and Quisp meet She-Hulk Over Drinks. The Fourth Wall suffers. * 2014-02-24 - Booze Notice - Sometimes a man walks into a bar. Sometimes a bar tries to walk on top of him. Welcome to the witching hour as our not-so-merry mystical mavens must deal with an enchanted tavern going on a rampage. *2014-04-22 - Bong went the Gong - Doctor Bong assaults Howard the Duck and Jessica Drew with his horde of Mutated Manimals and then tries to kidnap Jessica to be his bride. Category:Marvel Feature Category:Marvel Hero Category:New York City Category:Marvel Available